We have all found ourselves mindlessly scrolling through social media when we are bored.
We are constantly connected to an online world full of opinions, edited pictures and comparisons.
It can feel like we are keeping up to date with the world, new trends, and our loved ones, but we can find ourselves disconnected from the real world instead.
Could a mental health self-care box be a way to bring us back to earth?
‘Scrolling on social media can develop into an addiction,’ says Dr Benjamin Janaway, a mental health doctor from London. ‘Our brains are simply not built for this kind of thing.
‘Social media is a double-edged sword, but the one thing it lacks is consistency. It is a chaotic mess of highs and lows, anger, love, hate, desperation, need for acclaim, reward and punishment.
‘People become so enmeshed in their online persona they can forget there is a real-life out there.’
This can often lead to mental health problems. ‘Scrolling is often linked to anxiety and depression,’ empowerment coach Laura Connor tells Metro.co.uk.
We also spend so much time scrolling social media because we get a dopamine hit (the brain chemical that influences our mood and feelings of reward and motivation). Every time we receive a like, positive comment or watch a funny video, we are instantly hit with a shot of dopamine.
‘We become addicted to this feeling. It makes us feel better, but it is unproductive and only provides temporary instant gratification,’ explains Laura. ‘But it keeps us hooked.’
Laura suggests better ways of increasing dopamine levels, including exercise, socialising, sunshine, creative outlets, gratitude-based mindfulness and activities that don’t involve staring at a screen.
What is a mental health self-care box?
A mental health or self-soothe care box is essentially a box of your favourite comfort items that you can use to keep off your phone. These items and activities can also help you to feel better and reduce stress, anxiety and low mood.
At the time of writing, TikTok’s #mentalhealthbox and #selfsoothebox hashtags stand at around 347.3K and 49.9K views, respectively.
Cheryl, known as @_thislineismine on TikTok, makes videos showing the items inside her ‘self-soothe’ box.
A box to be used during distress/crisis #mentalhealth #copingskills #awareness #chinup #recovery
She explains that the idea of the box is to ‘grab it when you are in distress, and it has multiple things to help distract, soothe, ground you. Everything’s in one place’.
My self care box to help with recovery! Lots of things from @iinsidemyhead_ care pack! Xx #mentalhealthcarepackage #shrecovey #selfcarebox #mentalhealthbox #groundingbox #dissociationdisorder #s3lfh4rmrecovery #mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthhelptips #selfhelptips #traumarecovery
Others on TikTok have created these boxes to distract themselves from doom scrolling through social media. And having a basket full of activities and things to do can help encourage people to reach for something other than their phones.
It’s me and you? #foryoupage #fyp #friends #suprise #selfcare #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mindfullness #carepackage #carepackageideas
What items could people put inside their box?
- Fidget toys
- Self-care items, including face masks and other pampering tools.
- Headphones
- Mindful colouring books
- Puzzles – word search books, crosswords
- Embroidery
- Knitting
- Crochet
- Painting
- Books to read
- Journals and notepads
- Colourful pens
- Essential oils
- List of favourite comfort films/tv shows/podcasts
- Favourite snacks
- Soft toys
One user, known as @jessannnatics on TikTok, has putty and bubble wrap in her self-care box – that’s just one example of something that can work to ground you.
i love it!!! ? #tourettes #mentalhealthbox #safetybox #distractionbox #mentalhealth #loveyourself #ticsandtourettes
Taking a break from our social media doesn’t mean we can’t message our family and friends.
It’s also important to remember that it’s ok if we aren’t the first to spot a trend, tweet our opinion, or read every news story.
Rather than grabbing your phone next time you have a spare moment, why not start to build your own mental health box?
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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